Social Media App Triller Acquires Verzuz; Swizz Beatz + Timbaland To Oversee
Written by Jay Holz on March 9, 2021
Announced today, social media app Triller Network is set to acquire the powerhouse we’ve grown to love, Verzuz. In addition, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, the founders of Verzuz, will continue to oversee the platform and will also help with the company’s overall music strategy.
Here’s the press release revealed today:
Verzuz, the online music platform created by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland which has quickly become the most successful live stream music platform in history, has been acquired by Triller Network, the parent company of the app Triller. As part of the transaction, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland will join the Triller Verzuz management team and serve as brand visionaries.
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, via the transaction, have become large shareholders in the Triller Network. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland allocated a portion of their equity in the Triller Verzuz combined company to all 43 creatives who have performed on Verzuz to date.
“There is no more disruptive and innovative brand in music today than Verzuz,” said Bobby Sarnevesht, Executive Chairman and co-owner of Triller. “Verzuz and music are synonymous, and both Triller and Verzuz share the “artist first, music first” vision.”
Sarnevesht continued, “We view this acquisition as more of a partnership than an acquisition, as Swizz, Timbaland and the other 43 artists who are all becoming shareholders and partners in Triller Verzuz from this day forward become our voice.”
Artists becoming shareholders and partners in Triller Network include John Legend, DMX, Alicia Keys, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, Too $hort, Patti LaBelle, Gucci Mane, Jeezy, E-40, Bounty Killer, D’Angelo, Ludacris, RZA, The Dream, Babyface, Nelly, Jagged Edge, Fred Hammond, Jadakiss, Fabolous, Brandy, Monica, Gladys Knight, Boi-1da, Hit-Boy, Ne-Yo, Johnta Austin, Scott Storch, T-Pain, Lil Jon, DJ Premier, Mannie Fresh, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, 112, Kirk Franklin, Sean Garrett and D’Angelo.
“This is a momentous occasion not only for Verzuz and Triller but the music business as a whole,” said Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. “By putting Verzuz in the Triller Network ecosystem and expanding the Verzuz brand to be side by side with the powerful Triller app, we will be able to continue to grow and evolve the music business as a whole, as we have been doing. To have partners in Triller who share our vision, specifically to celebrate and elevate the amazing artists who continue to shape culture around the world and give the consumer more direct access, is game changing.”
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland continued, “We couldn’t be happier to be elevating Verzuz and Triller and to recognize, in a very real way, all of the artists who have helped make Verzuz the global phenomenon it is today. Our dream, the artists’ dream, today is realized, which is no small feat. Triller Verzuz is a company that’s by the artists, for the artists and with the people.”
“Verzuz isn’t just a company, a platform or an event, it is a cultural movement and phenomenon,” said Bobby Sarnevesht and Ryan Kavanaugh, Triller Network co-controlling shareholders. “In our generation, Verzuz has made a bigger impact on music than any other company we know. With this acquisition, Triller continues its evolution to be at the center of culture and the center of music. Who better to help shape Triller’s music future than the top artists in the world overseen by Timbaland and Swizz?”
What do you think of this move?
